13 essential children’s books about starting school: Ease first day jitters

Getting ready for the first day of school? These essential children’s books about starting school will help your kids prep for the next big stage in their young lives: going back to school. (This post contains affiliate links.)

This is a big year in our family: It’s the first day of preschool for Kiwi and the first day of kindergarten for Peeper. (How did they get so big?!) Peeper is absolutely jazzed about starting school—in fact, the other day she asked when fall was, and when my answer wasn’t soon enough she started crying.

When you ask Kiwi how she feels about starting school, though, her response is more mixed (and impressively nuanced for a 3-year-old): She says, “I’m excited but also little bit scared.”

That ambivalence about a new experience is totally understandable—and probably very familiar to you, if you have kids getting ready for their first day of school.

That’s why we’ve been reading these children’s books about starting school. They’re silly, fun and relatable. These children’s books about starting school are also a perfect opportunity to talk through what to expect—and to discuss the mixed feelings your kids might have about the first day of school.

Back to school season is exciting - but not every child has what she needs to succeed. Here, 4 things your family can do to help. Ten Thousand Hour Mama
This was Peeper’s first day of school last year. She has grown so much!

So request these from the library or order them on Amazon Prime. You and your kids will love reading these books about starting school—I know we have.

Good luck, parents!

Getting ready for the first day of school? These 13 greatest children's books about starting school are perfect to prep for back to school. Ten Thousand Hour Mama

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7 best children’s books about bees: What we’re reading

When I first introduced the idea of beekeeping to my kids, Kiwi put on her grouchiest frowny face. “Me no like bees,” she said. “Bees sting me!” I tried to explain to her that honeybees are, in fact, mostly docile and that it’s wasps and hornets that aggressively sting, but the distinction was lost on my toddler. Yet I was determined to get the whole family on board with backyard beekeeping—and these wonderful children’s books about bees helped us get there!

We’ve had these children’s books about bees in our rotation for about a month now, and the girls have gone from going “eek!” whenever anyone said “bee” to asking to read these, playing bees (complete with waggle dances!) and asking to make our own mason bee houses.

With beekeeping season upon us—and with us about to set up our brand-new beehive—the timing for their enthusiasm about pollinators couldn’t be better.

Whether you’re interested in family beekeeping or you just want your kids to learn about these crucial pollinators, these children’s books about bees are a wonderful starting point!

The 7 best children's books about bees and honeybees. Ten Thousand Hour Mama Read more

12 best children’s books about a new baby: What we’re reading

These children’s books about a new baby will help a big sister- or big brother-to-be understand what’s coming, process their emotions and feel reassured that they’ll still be special even after the baby arrives. The post contains affiliate links.

12 best children's books about a new baby - Ten Thousand Hour Mama

When I was pregnant with Kiwi, Peeper and I read a lot of books about a new baby to help her know what was happening—and why Mom’s belly suddenly took up my entire lap. She had a lot of questions, which books helped us answer in a comforting way.

Kid’s literature also gave a reference point for us to talk about what would happen when our new baby was ready to come—and after.

12 best children's books about a new baby: Ten Thousand Hour MamaHow to help Big Sister adjust to a new baby: children's books about babies. Ten Thousand Hour Mama

When the Big Day came, Peeper was more calm and comfortable with everything that happened—and I’m convinced these children’s books about a new baby were a big factor. All the changes were more familiar and less scary because she’d read about them many times.

Rereading these books with her and Kiwi now, I finish with stories about when they were born: like the very first time Peeper met Kiwi in the hospital, she came in and sang her new baby sister “Happy Birthday.” Awwww!

And although their relationship has had its rocky points, they have become the best of pals.

How to help Big Sister adjust to a new baby - Ten Thousand Hour Mama

If you’re looking for children’s books about a new baby to explain what it means to be a big sister or big brother, start here. Add them to your cart or request them from the library: You and your child will want to read—and reread—them even after Baby arrives. Read more

Mixing colors: Ideas for homeschool preschool activities

Mixing colors: Ideas for homeschool preschool activities

These homeschool preschool activities help kids learn about mixing colors in a hands-on, fun way. Make sure to read all the way to the bottom to read about our preschool science experiment, a dragon that spits foam! This post contains affiliate links.

Homeschool preschool ideas: Activities and lesson about mixing colors, including art and science projects for toddlers! Ten Thousand Hour Mama

At a recent meeting of our homeschool preschool, one mom joked that I was the messy mom—not necessarily because my house is always disheveled (which it is), but because my homeschool lessons always involve a warning: “We could get messy today. Dress accordingly!” The toddler-friendly activities about mixing colors were no exception.

I’m a giant fan of anything having to do with art and paint, but I try to design my homeschool preschool activities to involve pre-math skills, science and/or fine motor and gross motor skill-building options. So when I planned a day to learn about mixing colors, I kept this in mind and included hands-on projects that tick multiple boxes.

The mixing colors homeschool preschool lesson was a success! The kids—and the moms—got a kick out of the variety of activities we did to learn all about mixing colors. Read more

Children’s books about sound: Exploring the 5 senses

A few weeks ago, we hosted Kiwi’s homeschool preschool, and we explored one of the 5 senses: sound. Although the highlight of the day was having a dance party on bubble wrap (see my post about a sounds theme and activities for details!), the kids got a chance to listen during story time. I read aloud a few of these children’s books about sounds during the preschool lesson, and I gathered recommendations for even more picture books here.

My friends told me that after our homeschool preschool lesson about sounds, their kids practiced their listening and observation at home! “I hear vacuum,” “I hear plane,” “I hear doggie,” one preschooler told her mom in the days that followed our lesson about sounds.

I love these books about sounds because they offer a chance to learn about the 5 senses every day. They encourage kids to pay attention to noise, an often-overlooked sense, and gives them the language to describe sounds. What’s more, they’re fun! Kids crack up at their parents imitating everyday noises like a tea kettle, a jackhammer or even falling leaves.

If you need to up your noise-making game, there’s lots of practice in these children’s books about sounds. Or you can make your kids make all the noises! They’ll love that, too. So put a few of these children’s books about sounds in your cart, or request them from your library, and read on!

8 best children's books about sounds to teach the 5 senses. Ten Thousand Hour Mama Read more

Preschool sounds theme and activities: homeschool ideas

Plenty of attention gets paid to sensory play these days—a quick dip in Pinterest turns up slime recipes, scented cornmeal and even instructions on how to dye spaghetti noodles for a squishy bucket of fun. Yet hearing is one sense that is often neglected in sensory play. At a recent homeschool preschool meeting, then, I focused on a sounds theme and activities—and it was a roaring success.

Toddler preschool sounds theme and activities for homeschool - ideas for sensory play. Ten Thousand Hour Mama

With this theme and sounds activities, the kiddos engaged their sense of hearing at every turn. They also practiced fine motor skills, creativity, gross motor skills—and had an absolute blast doing it.

Whether you do a homeschool preschool for your kids or just want some sensory play that engages your kids ears, the sounds theme and activities here will be an absolute delight.

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Toddler homeschool preschool: Daily schedule for fun + learning

Kiwi comes with me to drop off Big Sister Peeper at her pre-K every day. She puts together puzzles, reads books, waves to the teachers and constantly tries to sneak the same teddy bear home with us. (“Blue! My favorite!” she insists, clutching the bear to her chest, when I have to yet again persuade her to put it back.) So when I told her she would be going to her own school—a toddler homeschool preschool—she shone the biggest smile at me.

“Me school!” she shouted, literally bouncing up and down. “So excited!”

I saw it with Peeper when she was a 2 years old: Her homeschool preschool strengthened her curiosity, listening skills, friendships and love of learning. I knew it would be no different for Kiwi, so several friends and I recently began a new toddler homeschool preschool.

They’re loving it already.

This toddler homeschool preschool daily schedule sample is an easy way to start teaching your kids at home. Ten Thousand Hour Mama

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Best kids’ books about fall leaves: What we’re reading

Autumn is my favorite season. As much as I love summer, by the end of August I eagerly await fall’s crisp evenings, the trips to the pumpkin patch, the excuse to cuddle under a quilt and drink tea, and the changing leaves. Oh, how I love fall leaves! Good thing for me, Peeper and Kiwi share my love of autumn, so it’s no surprise we’ve collected a list of our favorite books about fall leaves and autumn.

We love autumn—and children's books about fall leaves. Ten Thousand Hour Mama

After all, autumn is the perfect time to crack open a book after running around outside.

Jump in puddles, get muddy at the farm, collect fallen leaves, collect a pocketful of acorns—then head inside to read a stack of children’s books about fall leaves. Need some ideas? Check out this list then request a few—or them all!—from your local library. These make for a great unit for homeschool, if that’s your thing, or just a lovely read-aloud to learn about autumn.

The best children's books about fall and autumn - perfect for homeschool lessons. Ten Thousand Hour Mama

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Toddler activities about color: Homeschool preschool curriculum

The other day I hosted the first meeting for our new toddler homeschool preschool. I wanted our first topic to be “classic preschool”—as well as something accessible to our 2-year-olds. I thought about doing a back-to-school theme but figured it was too abstract; instead, I chose to focus on toddler activities about color.

Kiwi is constantly learning about the world through colors. When she asks for a bowl, she specifies what hue she wants. She calls on things not just by their name (“dog”) but by what kind of dog (“white dog”). And about 100 times a day she holds up one finger and announces, “Blue. My favorite!” (Followed immediately by, “Purple. Peeper’s favorite!”)

A homeschool preschool curriculum filled with toddler activities about color, then, was right up these kids’ alley. They enjoyed the fine motor skills-tuning project, the sorting activity that works on pre-math skills, and of course plain ol’ art.

Do you have little ones that would love toddler activities about color? Try these! Even if your toddlers don’t know yellow from red, they’ll enjoy these activities—and learn at the same time.

These toddler activities about color, for your homeschool preschool or just a fun project, are a great way for kids to learn about colors—and to have fun! Ten Thousand Hour Mama Read more

The best children’s books about grandparents

September 10 was Grandparents Day—a holiday that should come more than once a year, I say, especially because of how phenomenal my kids’ grandparents are. Although Grandparents Day has passed, we continue to love reading these children’s books about grandparents—and I have a feeling your kids’ grandma and grandpa would love them, too!

The 15 best children's books about grandparents will make your kids smile—and are a great gift idea for Grandma or Grandpa. Ten Thousand Hour Mama

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